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The nine-year paramour of the Australian singer Olivia
Newton-John rented a two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in the Los
Angeles suburb of Van Nuys that a local property owner described as
not a good neighbourhood, for about $US1000 ($1325) a month. Mr
McDermott, whose occupation was given in the Los Angeles
Times as a lighting gaffer and photographer, filed for
bankruptcy five years ago.

The amount he owed creditors was not clear yesterday.

Mr McDermott, pictured, has not been seen since the evening of
July 1, as the charter boat Freedom returned to San Pedro harbour,
south of Los Angeles, after a 24-hour fishing expedition.

The alarm was raised by his former wife, Yvette Nipar, on July
11, and the US Coast Guard, which is leading the investigation into
Mr McDermott's disappearance, issued a public request for help in a
press release on August 9.

There has been a surge of media interest in the case since Mr
McDermott's connection to Newton-John became known at the
weekend.

With that interest have come questions about whether Mr
McDermott was experiencing financial difficulties at the time of
his disappearance.

While the extent of those difficulties has not been established,
Mr McDermott was said to be a month behind on his rent at the time
of his disappearance.

Since then, friends have made contributions to cover his rent
until the end of this month.

On Tuesday the Coast Guard announced that it would re-interview
Frank Liversedge, the manager of the San Pedro marina from where
the Freedom had sailed, after Mr Liversedge said other passengers
on the boat had told him they had seen Mr McDermott leave the
marina after the Freedom docked.